What It Takes to Build a Steady Buyer Seller Relationship

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What It Takes to Build a Steady Buyer Seller Relationship

April 06, 2020

Regardless of what link you are in the supply chain, the principles which a buyer seller relationship is based upon are virtually the same. Yet, somehow, around 80% of B2B leaders have switched suppliers at least once in the past 2 years. These numbers show that the majority of relationships between buyers and sellers have issues which ultimately lead to breaking up the collaboration.

Consequently, the question arises: how to build a long-lasting customer seller relationship? It definitely isn’t by keeping it one-sided and thinking only about your profit. 

We’ve talked about the importance of buyer seller relationship previously and stressed some important factors. In the same fashion, this article continues on the topic and dives deeper in the complexity of buyer seller relationship.

How Price:Volume Affects the Buyer Seller Relationship

If you’re a novice in B2B, your first instinct might be to seal the deal with as many buyers as possible. While this seems like a great strategy to increase your profits, the scenario is not very probable, at least not in the long run.

Studies have shown that sellers that have established solid, both-sided rapports with fewer buyers, actually turn better profits and have a steadier cash flow.

How does that work? At first, the customer seller relationship is one-sided and not very favourable for the seller. They offer lower prices to the buyer with the purpose to bait higher volumes which usually doesn’t happen at the beginning. However, after a while, the buyer recognises the value they get and increase the volume. The relationships become two-sided.

Be careful, the value the buyer is supposed to get does not include only product quality. Negotiating skills must be put to good work alongside with truthful effort to nourish the relationship. This is where we arrive at the next point which we’ll elaborate on in the paragraph below.

The Service-over-Sales Approach Fortifies Customer Seller Relationship

The reason why most buyers change suppliers is because they’re needs are often unheard. In other words, sellers don’t pay attention. 

The first and foremost lesson coming out of this is: put the focus on the service, not on the sale. Listen carefully to what the buyer is saying and always tend to find a common ground. It’s important to remember that both sides should be satisfied by the outcome.

Combine technology with human efforts to create a seamless experience for your customers. Nonetheless, never make the mistake to dwell entirely on tech. Where AI and ML fail, real humans excel. Find the right balance between these two and remember that a buyer seller relationship is as strong as the effort put into it.

Bonus Tip: What to do when you need to find new buyers and suppliers

Be present on the B2B platform Enterprise League and you can easily find new buyers and suppliers when you need them. Enterprise League can be of great help when it comes to succeeding in building strong buyer supplier relationships. On one side, you can publish business tenders and receive companies’ bids. While on the other side, you can share your offerings and get contacted for prospective collaborations. The entire platform functions on AI working in the back, facilitating the B2B collaborative process.

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Year in Review: 2019

Year in Review: 2019

Year in Review: 2019

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how do i find wholesale suppliers
As I sit down to write this post, we are winding down our busiest season in business ever and I am feeling so very grateful for all of the work and opportunities that 2019 brought our way. This year was the year we launched Enterprise League and while we are still learning, we feel like we have found our groove when it comes to: implementing the Build, Measure, Learn system, collaborating with our members and more. 

This year in review I am sharing with you the things that did work, didn’t work and future plans for 2020. 

What Worked

  • Processes, systems and workflows

I cannot repeat enough how setting up efficient processes and systems has saved us so much time while building Enterprise League. We launched as a b2b platform, measured and learned that we need to shift our branding to an online business club. We redesigned our UX, web and blog, we keep releasing new features and updating existing ones. It has all been the result of the Build, Measure, Learn system and we don’t plan on shifting perspective anytime soon. 

  • Building the EL team

Although there were a couple of partnerships this year which didn’t turn out as a good fit, the current team at Enterprise League have been invaluable to us. The team has proven that amazing things can happen when you loosen the grip on your business and make smart hires. 

We learned and for every new potential teammate, we require a probation period to connect with the project and other teammates. This period served as a great way for both the potential new team member and the current team to determine if we were a fit for working together. 

Remember: for every non-ideal teammate you choose to bring in your team, you’re robbing yourself of a partnership that will bring you a harmonious, inspiring and driven work atmosphere.

What Didn’t Work

  • Working while traveling

Much of our gorgeous Tuscan holiday were actually spent in our apartment room where the wifi was strongest trying to efficiently work for a couple of hours with our remote team. It seemed like it would be doable and productive however it mostly resulted with missed moments and explorations at the expense of a work that could have been delegated. But it was early days of the team and we were still becoming accustomed to each other.

We would advise to certainly avoid mixing work with travel, it’s better to be fully present in one place, than not present in any.

Future Plans

  •  Release more membership plans and even more new and better benefits

As we analysed and learned from our early beginnings we found ways to polish and add more value to our member experience. Starting from January 2020, new members now have the opportunity to join Enterprise League with a lifetime premium membership (later available at a fee) free of charge. The premium membership offers new and refined business tools, that have been and are being added onto the platform continuously. 

2020 is currently tracking to be our year with even more campaigns, features and members, and I can’t wait to see how the next year pans out. We look forward to continuing to expand the club and its business benefits while also continuing to partner with business members and together achieve our mission of giving more business opportunities to small and medium sized businesses.

Wishing you a happy New Year, 

Irina, Co-founder and CEO 

 

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